We Both Go Down Together
by Sreinbol
Summary: Leigh's future looks bright. So does Kevin Jonas'. But despite this, both of them are living under unhappy circumstances. Will a chance meeting reveal to them what they've been missing all along? And will they be able to change the paths that they're on?
1. Equations Upon Equations

**A/N: I do not own the Jonas Brothers. I can't afford them.**

"God damn it," Leigh swore to herself as she flipped through her battered physics textbook, attempting to find some sort of equation that would assist her in finding the final velocity of a rocket shot off at an angle 30 degrees from the ground with an initial velocity of 80 m/s. She had pages of problems to complete for tomorrow, and she had made very little progress in the past hour.

"This is such bullshit," she muttered in frustration, finally deciding to just call a friend for help. While the phone rang, she continued in her fruitless efforts to find a useful equation in her supremely worthless textbook, ripping several pages in the process.

"What's up?" Emma answered on the other line.

"Do you know how to do this bullshit physics homework?" Leigh asked, not wasting any time. She propped the phone between her shoulder and ear while she hastily tried to flatten out the pages she had quasi-destroyed in her irritation.

Emma let out a wry giggle. "No," she confessed. "Wanna go to the library and work on it?"

"Good call," Leigh agreed, feeling the tiniest bit relieved. At least it would be more fun struggling with a friend than struggling with it on her own.

Three hours later, they were still sitting in a study room at the library, now having completed roughly half of the assignment. Leigh finished the equation she was currently working on, then sighed and leaned back in her chair, shaking her blond bangs out of her eyes.

"This better pay off," Emma muttered, taking a break from the endless homework and staring at the wall. She had really taken the words right out of Leigh's mouth. Really, the only reason why Leigh was at the library on a Thursday night, muddling through this mountain of homework instead of sitting at home watching Smallville was so she could get into Brown. The situation was much the same for Emma, although she would happily take any ivy league university or Northwestern.

They just sat in thoughtful silence for a few moments before Leigh finally broke it. "Yeah, I should probably work on applications this weekend," she said, reflecting on all the work she still had to do in addition to her schoolwork. She didn't even enjoy most of the schoolwork. Really, she had only signed up for A.P. Calculus and Honors Physics to look good on applications. It was all just a means to an end.

Suddenly, discussion of weekend plans seemed to remind Emma of something, and she snapped out of her stupor. "Oh, by the way," she began, "My cousin is going to some concert this Saturday, and she has extra tickets. Do you wanna go?"

"What concert?" Leigh asked suspiciously. After all, nothing good was ever free.

"The Jonas Brothers, I think," Emma responded with some uncertainty, laying down her textbook and stretching her arms over her head.

Leigh was pleasantly surprised. She had, in fact, heard of the Jonas Brothers, and she did enjoy their music.

"It's like a boy band," Emma continued, taking Leigh's lack of response to mean that she hadn't heard of the band. "They're big on the Disney Channel. You'll probably be more into them than me."

"This is true," Leigh admitted. Emma typically listened to classical music. It came with wanting to major in music performance. "Actually, I like the Jonas Brothers," Leigh confessed. "Why does she have extra tickets?"

"I don't know." Emma shrugged. "I think she was going to go with a couple of her friends, but they dropped out because they're going out of town for a volleyball competition. So do you wanna go then?"

Leigh thought for a moment, chewing her lip nervously. On the one hand, college application deadlines were coming up, and she really should be working on that. She had been working up to those applications for the past few years. She didn't want to blow her chance at acceptance to an elite university just because of a shoddy application. But on the other hand, she felt she deserved 

a break. She would just have to be extra-industrious on Sunday to make up for it. Plus, it was free. A very tempting proposition.

"Come on. Please go," Emma prodded, her grey eyes pleading with Leigh to accept the offer. "It'll be more fun."

"I suppose one unproductive night couldn't really hurt," Leigh reasoned, coming around. Emma continued to smile at her hopefully. "Yeah, I guess I'll go."

Having resolved that issue, she flipped a page in her lab notebook and continued with the next equation. "I'll think of it as a reward for getting through this stack of shit."

Emma groaned and commenced reading the next problem from the book, something about the angle of water spit from a fish's mouth to hit a bug on a leaf overhanging the pond. As the girls continued to push through the incomprehensible drudgery that was their physics homework, they felt their minds wandering to thoughts of the concert. It would be nice to relax for a change.

**A/N: This is my first fanfic. Please review. On a scale of one to happy, it would make me happy.**


	2. Guitar Hero?

**A/N: I still don't own the Jonas Brothers. Surprise, I know. Also, the title comes from a song by The Decemberists. I don't own them either, but I recommend you check out the song.**

Leigh watched the clock anxiously, listening closely for the sound of an engine. Emma would be here any minute now to pick her up for the Jonas Brothers concert.

"Make sure she drives carefully," Leigh's mom warned her, as she bounced her heels up and down in anticipation. "The weather could be bad later."

"Yes, yes," Leigh impatiently brushed aside her mom's warnings. "Emma is a cautious driver, and it's all major highways into the city. It'll be salted."

"Yeah, but just be careful," her mom cautioned once more, as Leigh finally heard the telltale sign of tires crunching over packed snow. She quickly pulled on her mittens and shot her mom a final excited smile before disappearing out the door and into the frosty air.

Her mom's warnings were perfectly legitimate, considering it was early December in Minneapolis, and the weather could certainly be fickle. Add that to one of the worst highway systems in the nation, and there was always the potential for disaster. But Leigh didn't want to think about that tonight. Tonight was a night to let loose and have a little fun. It would be a break from the nearly ceaseless assignments and the stress of college applications and preparing for her future.

"Hey!" Emma greeted her friend, as she hurriedly slid into the passenger seat and slammed her door against the blustery night. "We have to pick up Claire on the way, but the roads are clear, so we should make it there in time."

"Excellent." Leigh was actually really excited about this concert. She hadn't been to a concert in awhile, and frankly, she missed the atmosphere. There was something about the mob mentality that always got to her. She loved feeling that she was a part of something, no matter how silly it was.

They made it safely to Northrop Auditorium on the University of Minnesota campus with a little time to spare, but that time was promptly eaten up by their efforts to find adequate parking. As per usual, parking in the city was nothing short of a real bitch.

While the girls struggled to find parking, and a light snow began to fall from the already dark sky, the Jonas Brothers were having lockdown deep in a backroom of the auditorium. Nick rolled his eyes as he attempted to practice guitar but was interrupted by the incessant clicking caused by Kevin and Joe playing Guitar Hero. Kevin was playing surprisingly poorly, so poorly, in fact, that even Joe was creaming him.

"What's up with you?" Nick asked Kevin, who had just lost decisively to Joe playing "My Name is Jonas" on hard. Nick had finally abandoned his efforts at productivity and propped his guitar gently against the couch he was perched on. He had observed that Kevin had been a little off recently, and not just with Guitar Hero, which he typically dominated. True, his performances had been just as passionate and energetic as usual, but behind the scenes, Nick and Joe hadn't failed to notice him growing increasingly standoffish and melancholy.

"Nothing," Kevin shrugged, not meeting his brother's eyes. "I'm just not that good at this song."

Joe raised his eyebrows at Kevin's obvious lie and shared a significant glance with Nick that Kevin was painfully aware of. Thankfully, Joe and Nick reached an unspoken agreement. They just shrugged it off and decided not to pursue the issue further until later.

At any rate, they were interrupted when their dad popped his head in the room and announced that they would be taking the stage in roughly twenty minutes. Kevin sighed, something that once again did not go unnoticed by Joe and Nick, and removed his Guitar Hero guitar and headed to the mini-fridge in pursuit of a Red Bull. No matter what, he had to be at the top of his game.

Meanwhile, Emma had managed to squeeze her small Honda Civic into a tight space a few blocks from the auditorium, and the girls had made it in just in time for the opening act, which turned out to be just short of inspiring if not completely offensive.

Their seats were fairly centered but leaning slightly to Kevin's side, and they were about fifteen rows back from the stage. But in reality, there were no bad seats in Northrop Auditorium, as it was a slightly smaller, more intimate setting than say, the Target Center.

Even Emma was practically shaking in excitement by the time the Jonas Brothers took the stage, rising out of it at different levels. Nick was on the lowest level, closest to the stage, while Kevin was on the uppermost, sandwiching Joe in the middle level.

The screaming of the crowd, comprised mostly of tween girls, was ear-splitting, but despite this, Leigh felt a smile spread across her face as she began to lose herself in the music, temporarily forgetting all of her responsibilities.

As soon as Kevin felt the bright stage lights fall over his face, he was in full-on performance mode. This was why he did this. He truly enjoyed playing guitar. It was so consistent, and that was what he loved most about it. While touring, there were often days where he woke up and couldn't remember what city he was in. There were endless radio interviews and various appearances for publicity. He felt like he had so little control over his own life now, what with his father cramming more and more activities into the band's already very full schedule. In fact, the only time when he felt like he could just lose track of responsibilities was when he was onstage performing. It was one of the few things in his life that just felt right.

**A/N: As always, please, please, please review your little hearts out!**


	3. I Am What I Am

**A/N: I don't own the Jonas Brothers.**

Leigh bobbed her head with the beat of S.O.S., while on either side of her, Emma and her cousin Claire also moved in time to the music. The Jonas Brothers were now playing the encore, and despite the fact that Leigh and Emma had only ended up at the concert by default, both felt themselves not wanting to leave. Once it ended they would have no distraction, no excuse, to not resume their responsibilities. This one night had given them a taste of what they had been missing the past few years while they were so consumed by preparing for their futures, and just that tiny taste of freedom was enough to show them that their sacrifice had been significant.

* * *

Kevin strummed the final chords of S.O.S. and smiled in satisfaction. He felt the familiar beads of perspiration coming to his face and no doubt, causing his stage makeup to run. He couldn't care less. The concert had been amazing, like always, but sadly, like all good things, it had to come to an end.

Kevin looked across the stage to his brothers and nodded, indicating that he was ready for their final song of the concert. Joe smirked back and jumped up and down a few times, clearly feeling the energy of the crowd. Nick, too, grinned, glad to see that whatever had been going on with Kevin for the past few weeks had vanished now that he was in his element performing live.

Without further ado, the brothers jumped into their final song. It was an old favorite, one that reminded them of their early days as a band, playing tiny venues, typically outside shows at fairs and the like.

* * *

The crowd was a mass of flailing arms, jumping bodies, and bobbing heads as "I Am What I Am" wailed through the auditorium. Leigh's blond hair whipped around her face, partially obscuring her view of the stage and the brothers whose passionate performance had made for one of the greatest nights she had had in a long time. She tried to keep up with the lyrics, something cheesy about being who you are, and the rest be damned. Somehow that brand of song never failed to move Leigh, and this particular one was no exception. But something about it also bothered her, and she almost felt her smile begin to fade slightly as she reflected on the words.

_I am what I am? _It was the kind of attitude that Leigh loved, and she wished that she could say that she felt that way about herself, but the simple truth was that going to the concert was the only thing she had done for herself just because she wanted to in awhile.

She was reminded of one of the personal essay topics on her application for Georgetown- "Imagine that you are interviewing yourself as a potential candidate for admission to Georgetown University. Ask yourself a question that you feel will reveal something important about yourself, and respond accordingly in a 600 word essay." Something important about herself? What the hell was that supposed to mean? What would admissions officers want to hear?

But really, she recognized that the real problem was not so much the essay topic in and of itself but rather, what it made her realize. It made her realize that she didn't know herself well enough to determine what was really important about her- what she really would contribute to Georgetown. _I am what I am? _No, those lines really did not apply to her. For the past few years, all she had done was manipulate herself, so she would be most appealing to whatever the current panel of judges was- teachers, classmates, and more than anything, admissions officers.

Before Leigh was even fully aware of it, the song had ended, and she remained in stunned silence for a moment, still trying to collect her thoughts. Damn Jonas and their subliminal messages.

* * *

"That was awesome!" Joe exclaimed enthusiastically as he and his brothers navigated the labyrinthine hallways backstage, narrowly missing running into the wall as they rounded a corner.

"Would you be careful?!" Kevin grumpily admonished his brother. In response to Joe's look of surprise at his scolding, Kevin added, "The last thing we need is for you to cut your head open and need stitches."

Nick was just as confused by Kevin's mood as Joe was. He shook his curly head a little at Joe as if to say "Who invited this guy?" Joe shrugged his shoulders, and Nick shot him a look that clearly said that he had had about enough of Kevin's attitude.

As they finally made it to their hangout backstage, Joe plopped down on the couch with his bottle of water and took a long gulp, gearing up for the confrontation that would shortly take place between his brothers.

"Kevin," Nick began, looking Kevin straight in the eyes, his voice unwavering. "Seriously man, what's been up with you lately?"

"Nothing," Kevin replied, not meeting Nick's now-concerned gaze.

Joe was about ready to cut in, but Nick, sensing that his brother's words would be anything but tactful, wisely cut him off.

"I don't think it's nothing," Nick observed. "For the past few weeks you've been acting like me just before I was diagnosed. I have diabetes, but what's your excuse?"

Kevin paused. Had his recent feelings really been that obvious? He certainly hadn't meant to be so transparent. "I'm sorry, alright? It's just been a little hectic lately," he tried, hoping his brothers would let him leave it at that, but knowing that they cared enough that they wouldn't.

"It's always hectic with touring, but you've never had a problem before," Nick pointed out.

Kevin couldn't hold it in any longer. "Oh come on!" he said heatedly. "You can't tell me that you don't feel like a hypocrite when we play 'I Am What I Am'!"

Joe looked perplexed. "What do you mean?"

However, before Kevin had a chance to explain, their mom bustled into the room with Frankie in tow. "That was a great show," she praised them, hugging each of her boys in turn. "I'm so proud of you."

Kevin managed to put up a façade of composure for his mother, but as he hugged her, his brothers both shot him looks, clearly indicating that the conversation was far from being over.

* * *

Claire stifled a yawn from the backseat as the engine of Emma's Honda roared to life. "That was so amazing," she reflected sleepily, glancing out the window. The snow had picked up pace during the course of the concert, and the air temperature was right around freezing. It could make for messy road conditions, and she knew the drive home would be slow, so she rested her head against the chilly window and fell asleep almost instantly.

"Would you check those Mapquest directions?" Emma asked, gesturing to the dashboard, as she stopped at a red light, sliding just a bit.

Leigh felt her body tense a little, as she recognized the telltale signs of slippery road conditions. She was used to it by now, having lived in Minnesota for her entire life, but the lack of control still never failed to unsettle her.

Just as Leigh was about to reach for the directions, through her peripheral vision, she caught a glimpse of something that increased her feeling of unease. Something large and seemingly, out of control.

The three girls felt a jolt as that large and out-of-control something collided with the front of their car, throwing everything into a state of chaos, fear, and uncertainty.

**A/N: What will happen in the aftermath of the collision? Review to find out.**


	4. All Aboard!

**A/N: I still don't own the Jonas, but I'm getting closer every day.**

From inside their tour bus, the Jonas family felt a brief moment of weightlessness as the bus hit a patch of newly formed black ice and slid around the corner on its right turn. However, no sooner had the driver lost control of steering than they felt a small jolt, and they could make out the ugly sound of metal scraping against metal. Sensing that the bus had finally come to a halt, their facial expressions shifted from shock to concern.

Denise clutched Frankie to her and glanced around the now still bus, making sure her sons were unharmed. Feeling quite certain that all was in order inside the bus, she finally took a deep breath before pressing her face to the cold glass of the window to see what precisely the bus had collided with and whether there was serious damage.

"What's going on, Mom? What did we hit?" Joe asked nervously, not daring to look out the window himself.

Kevin and Nick looked equally nervous sitting stiffly on the couch on either side of Joe. Their father had gone up to the front of the bus for a better look and to speak with the bus driver about how they should proceed. Denise's breathing fogged up the window as she faintly made out the front lights of a small car, but it was too dark for her to distinguish much more.

"I . . . I . . . think we hit a car," she informed her sons, trying her hardest to remain calm despite the fact that she had suddenly gone cold, and not just because of the weather.

Kevin immediately sensed her unease. He got off the couch and crossed the bus to reach her. "I'm sure everything is fine," he offered, and he laid a gentle hand on her shoulder in an effort to calm her.

She nodded feebly in response, and Kevin ruffled Frankie's hair before making his way to the front of the bus to see what exactly was going on.

* * *

Claire had immediately jolted awake upon impact. "What the hell?" she screeched, having finally gotten her bearings. Her eyes promptly sought out Emma and Leigh in the front of the car, and she established that they were physically fine, albeit rather shaken.

"Shit," Emma breathed, gripping the steering wheel in a deathly vise. "Shit, shit, shit."

Thankfully, no one had been hurt, and from what Emma could make out of the front driver's side of the car, it had not sustained horrible damage, considering the size of the vehicle that had hit them. Physics, she thought to herself, smiling wryly. Her car had been stationary, and the bus had been moving at such a low velocity that the force of impact had been weakened in spite of the mass of one of the objects.

While Emma was reflecting on physics, Leigh had gotten out of the car in order to better assess the damage. The front fender was pretty much smashed in, and the paint was all scratched away, revealing the ugly metal beneath.

Two men appeared out of the bus in short order and approached Leigh.

"Is everyone okay?" the serious-looking one with glasses asked Leigh, his concern evident, while other rather rotund man bent down to inspect the car.

"Yes, no thanks to you maniacs," Leigh responded heatedly, making not one whit of effort to hide her irritation. She crossed her arms in front of her chest, partially with the purpose of staying warm and partially because she wanted her attitude of extreme displeasure clearly reflected in her stance.

Emma and Claire simultaneously appeared beside her, also looking ruffled.

"Hey," the rotund man began defensively. "We hit that patch of ice, and I lost control of steering. It coulda happened to anyone."

"Obviously, our insurance will cover it," the other man piped up before any of the girls could argue further.

Leigh bit back any cheeky retort, while Emma leaned back in to the car to collect her insurance information from the glove compartment.

* * *

Observing that his father and the bus driver were no longer onboard, Kevin, too, vacated the bus. Stepping out, he shivered as an icy wind bit at his face, and fat clumps of snow continued to fall from the heavens.

He whipped his head in the direction of the accident and noticed that it appeared that the bus had hit a car of three teenage girls. None of them appeared to be hurt, and Kevin let out a sigh of relief. However, his relief was almost instantly replaced by panic when it occurred to him that a group of teenage girls driving around the city at this hour was in all likelihood also a group of fans driving home after the concert.

While he, like his brothers, greatly appreciated the support of their fans, he was in no mood to deal with overexcited fangirls fawning over him at the moment. However, his musings were interrupted when he heard one of the blond girls raise her voice, seemingly accusing his father and the bus driver of being "maniacs." Her cheeks were red, both from anger and the cold, and her breath formed clouds in the chilly night air. Kevin had to rethink his previous sentiments. Perhaps he wouldn't have to deal with overzealous fangirls, after all.

Emma was just exchanging insurance information with the bus driver and the other man when a curly-haired guy who looked suspiciously like Kevin Jonas approached. He didn't speak but just stood off to the side, as if waiting for someone to address him. Leigh's eyes traveled up and down the length of his body, fully taking in his appearance. Somehow, in her distress she had failed to put two and two together, and even now, the pieces were only coming together slowly. Large bus plus concert had the potential to equal the Jonas Brothers, she realized. She didn't need A.P. Calculus to figure that one out.

Her thoughts were interrupted, though, when the man in glasses, who had introduced himself as Paul, suggested that one of them call the police. Naturally, they would have to file an accident report. Once Claire had accomplished that task, really the only thing left to do was wait for the police to arrive.

Paul finally turned and acknowledged Kevin's curious presence there. "Kevin, why don't you take these girls back on the bus? You can stay warm there until the police get here."

Kevin gave him a questioning glance, but before he had a chance to respond, his father continued, "I'll be on in a minute. I just want to look over the bus quickly."

Kevin nodded and quickly introduced himself to the three girls, shaking their mittened hands, as they continued to gaze at him curiously. "Well . . . come with me," he said a little awkwardly, gesturing toward the bus.

They remained still for a moment, but at Kevin's encouraging glance, Emma followed him to the bus, Leigh and Claire trailing after her.

**A/N: What will happen aboard the bus? If you desire to know, review!**


	5. Q&A

**A/N: I know it's been awhile since my last update, but things have been crazy with finals. Updates should be more frequent in a week when school's out! Also, I am no closer to owning the Jonas Brothers.**

Denise felt immensely relieved upon realizing that the three girls, who had just appeared on the tour bus alongside her son, must have been in the car they had hit.

"I'm so sorry about this," she said, standing up to welcome them and gesturing in the direction of the accident.

Leigh nodded solemnly, while Emma thanked her for her concern. Claire, on the other hand, caught not one word of Denise's apology when she realized who the occupants of the bus were.

"J-J-J-Jonas Brothers," she stuttered, completely bug-eyed, as she looked all around her, confirming that they were all there and quite tangible and that she wasn't simply living out some bizarre fantasy in which the car she was traveling in was hit by the Jonas Brothers' tour bus.

Joe nodded slowly, while Nick raised his eyebrows and looked slightly frightened. Kevin thought it best to interrupt and introduce Leigh, Emma, and Claire to his mom and brothers in an effort to ease the awkwardness.

"Okay, so this is Emma, Leigh, and Claire," Kevin said, pointing out each of them in turn. Joe, Nick, and Denise came to their feet, and the Emma and Leigh politely shook their hands. Claire, for her part, continued to stand there gaping, her mouth hanging wide open in incredulousness.

"Attractive," Claire heard Leigh mutter. Joe snickered, and Claire promptly snapped her jaw shut and shook her head a little.

"Sorry," she apologized quickly, feeling her cheeks warming. Frankie stepped out from behind his mother and giggled, clearly amused by Claire's flustered state.

"I'm Frankie," he introduced himself confidently, smoothing over any uneasiness. "But you can call me The Man."

Leigh couldn't help herself. The absurdity of the situation finally hit her with Frankie's introduction, and she burst into laughter. She was practically choking back sobs while the rest of them just stared at her as if she had just escaped maximum security.

"S-s-sorry," she spluttered, doubling over and clutching at her stomach. "This . . . is just so . . . absurd," she managed between wheezes.

She had a point. None of the girls had exactly envisioned ending up on the Jonas Brothers' tour bus after having it skid into their car after the concert. Despite the damaged car, there were probably thousands of girls who would kill to be in their position.

When at last Leigh had regained her composure, Denise motioned for the girls to take seats on the two sofas. Once Leigh, Emma, and Claire had gotten comfortable, or as comfortable as they could get aboard an unfamiliar tour bus with an all-too-familiar boy band staring at them curiously, Denise began small talk.

"How old are all of you?" she asked, the cogs already turning in her mind. There was nothing quite as satisfying as setting her sons up with girls who she deemed to be respectable and well-mannered.

Kevin, Joe, and Nick simultaneously groaned, and Frankie giggled, always eager to see his older brothers squirm. Kevin was particularly exasperated with this routine. Really, it was just preposterous for his mother to still be monitoring who he dated, considering he was twenty-one. He could legally get trashed if he wanted to, for shit's sake.

Of course, that would destroy their precious Disney image, Kevin reminded himself bitterly. And doing anything to sacrifice the "purity" of their image could result in financial loss for Disney. God, being pawns of greedy corporate bastards was sure fun.

Kevin was broken from his reverie just in time to catch the important detail that Leigh and Claire had recently become legal, while Emma was still just seventeen. They were all seniors in high school.

Naturally, this segued beautifully into Denise's next question in her mini interrogation. "So what are your plans for next year?" She leaned back into the sofa opposite the one the girls were sitting on and folded her hands in her lap, awaiting a lengthy, detailed explanation.

"Umm . . . well . . . college," Leigh replied, sounding slightly less sure of herself than usual. Maybe it was because she was distracted by the three extremely appealing and talented boys surrounding her.

"Which one?" Denise prodded, and Emma led them in rattling off a lengthy list of rather impressive names—exclusive institutions that one or more of them had applied to.

Kevin quietly observed his mother. Joe and Nick, bored with watching the interview, had moved into the dining area of the bus to play with Frankie and his Webkinz. They were really just awaiting their mother's final review at this point anyway. They knew from experience by this point that dating prospects were only open if approved by the family first.

Just as Kevin let out a rather audible yawn, earning a reproachful look from his mother, they heard footsteps followed shortly thereafter by the apparition of Paul in the entryway to the section of the bus they were currently occupying.

"Police are here," he announced, and Denise looked vaguely disappointed that their chat was being cut so short. She was really just getting started.

Kevin, on the other hand, sighed in relief, and upon realizing that he was not the only one to do so, he lifted his eyes to meet Leigh's suddenly more alert ones. They shared a significant glance that did not go unnoticed by the others, and Leigh followed Claire, Emma, and Paul off the bus and back into the chilly night, her mind suddenly and inexplicably occupied by thoughts of a certain Jonas boy and the intense desperation only she had been able to read in his eyes.

**A/N: Review like always!**


	6. Emergency Credit Card to the Rescue!

**A/N: Sorry I've been bad about updating. The last two weeks have been kind of hectic. But this chapter's longer than usual to make up for it!**

"So are we good to go then?" Emma asked, looking to the police officer and Paul, having finally completed the tedious accident report. She shivered slightly in spite of her warm winter coat. The temperature was dropping still lower, it seemed.

The officer nodded brusquely, rubbing his gloved hands together to generate warmth. "You're good to go," he confirmed, now adjusting his holster and sliding back into his own car.

Leigh, lost in her thoughts about a certain Jonas and what ailed him, heard Emma calling her name as if through a fog. She must have finished the accident report while Leigh had been focusing her eyes on the entrance to the bus, thinking and perhaps even waiting, truth be told. But waiting for what? For Kevin? Did she expect him to appear and stop her from leaving? Did she honestly expect him to be as intrigued by her as she was by him? Maybe the sub-arctic temperatures were making her delusional.

"Leigh," she heard Emma prod again, and she regretfully pried her eyes away from the tour bus, completely unaware that Kevin was having a similar internal monologue as he observed the progress from the window of the bus.

However, Kevin, too, was broken from his thoughts when he realized that the girls were returning to their car, Claire anxiously glancing up at the bus every few seconds as if unable to believe that one of the Jonas boys had not run out and professed his love for her yet. Kevin let a wry laugh escape at the thought. And then there was Leigh, who had finally pulled her eyes away from the front of the bus and was now trudging slowly through the gathering snow, responding to the calls of Emma, who appeared to be the most relieved to finally be escaping this awkward situation.

But Kevin was broken from this new reverie when he realized the implications of them returning to the car. They were leaving. He had no way to contact Leigh, and chances were good that he would never see her again. And yet, for some strange, inexplicable reason he felt that he wanted to see her again. Something about her challenged him. Even though their meeting had been brief, in some bizarre way he knew that they had reached some sort of understanding. Leigh had read something in him, something that not even his own brothers had been able to uncover, try as they might.

And with that lingering thought, Kevin jumped back from the window, promptly colliding with Joe, who had also come to see the progress of the events outside.

"Ow, shit," Joe muttered, falling back against the hard floor.

Denise was just about to scold her son's choice of language but was cut off by Kevin's frantic exclamation. "They're leaving!"

As Denise had found the girls acceptable dating prospects, she left it up to her sons to act accordingly at this point. Understanding that it was up to him, Kevin raced off the bus, ignoring Joe's irritated grumbles as he pulled himself back to a standing position.

Joe turned to his mom. "I don't get him," he said pointedly, and for once, Denise had to concede that one of her children had become a mystery to his own mother.

* * *

Claire's head jerked up at the sound of the tour bus door slamming as someone burst out of it. Success, she thought. Granted, it had taken a little bit longer than it typically did for boys to come groveling at her feet, but that detail was outbalanced by the fact that these were incredibly attractive celebrity boys. She smirked, shaking some snow out of her chocolate brown hair. Unfortunately, once the hair and snow were out of her eyes it became abundantly clear to her that although one of the Jonas had appeared, he sadly had not come for her.

"Wait! Leigh!" Kevin's shout pierced the cold night air and arrived to Leigh on the breath of a wind. She couldn't completely hold back a smile.

Emma shot Leigh a glance that was both amused and reproachful as she pulled shut her car door. Don't forget, it seemed to remind her, time is of the essence. After all, it was unlikely that any of their parents would be particularly pleased with their late homecoming and a damaged car. Their parents weren't exactly the sort of people who would be bought over, or even especially impressed, by their brush with superstars.

Kevin was about ready to explain to a semi-perplexed Leigh why precisely he had come after her. (After all, they hadn't even really talked in the bus unless you counted that shared glance that spoke volumes.) However, before he could get more than two words out, he was interrupted by a furious exclamation from Emma.

"God damn it!" she roared, having attempted to begin warming the car only to discover that what little damage was visible from the outside was nothing more than a façade, masking some deeper trouble. A deeper trouble that when coupled with the now sub-zero temperatures prevented the engine from turning over.

Leigh gave Kevin a small apologetic smile before turning back to the car and having a brief pow-wow with Emma and Claire. A plan was formulated. Kevin continued to wait patiently as each of the girls called her parents and explained the situation. Considering the still rapidly accumulating snow and worsening road conditions, it would make not one whit of sense for the girls to try to get home immediately. It was the weekend, at any rate, so they weren't missing too much. Just a load of tedious college applications, really.

Emma's parents agreed to arrange for the towing and repair of the car while she, Claire, and Leigh found a hotel for the night, courtesy of the "emergency" credit card Emma's parents had provided for her at the beginning of her senior year. This would even be the christening of the card in a way! True, they had used it before but never for an _actual_ emergency!

"You can come with us to the hotel," Kevin suggested helpfully, earning grateful smiles from all of the girls.

And just like that, it was decided. They all piled back into the bus, Kevin explaining the situation to his parents while they all tried to warm up, a task that was becoming increasingly difficult what with the now nearly blizzard-like conditions.

The bus managed to make it the rest of relatively short distance to the hotel without incident, and they all commenced checking in and hauling baggage, at least in the case of the Jonas. The girls would just have to make do with whatever toiletries they could purchase there and the clothes on their backs.

* * *

Leigh had just flipped on the television and flopped back on one of the beds, preparing to watch a few episodes of "Cash Cab" or "Most Haunted" in order to calm her mind in the wake of a rather eventful day. But no sooner had she gotten comfortable and found the Discovery Channel then she heard a rap on the door. Observing that Emma and Claire were too preoccupied with ordering room service to answer it, she heaved herself off the bed with a sigh and opened the door to find Kevin, Joe, and Nick looking surprisingly energized, all things considered.

"Hey, wanna hang out or something?" Joe asked excitedly, speaking on behalf of all three brothers.

"Why not?" Leigh replied, a mischievous grin making its ways across her face. Perhaps this night wouldn't be such a washout after all.

**A/N: Reviews make me write faster!**


End file.
